Decorative wire molding

ABSTRACT

A DECORATIVE MOLDING FOR HOUSING WIRES, CABLES AND THE LIKE AND A METHOD FOR INSTALLING THE MOLDING ON A BUILDING SURFACE ARE DESCRIBED. THE MOLDING COMPRISES A MOLDING SLAT AND AT LEAST ONE BRACKET ADAPTED TO HOLD THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF THE SLAT AND TO MOUNT IT ON A BUILDING SURFACE. IN ONE EMBODIMENT THE BRACKET COMPRISES TWO LEGS OF RESILIENT MATERIAL, EACH JOINED AT ONE END AND HAVING A HOOK PORTION AT THE FREE END. THE LEGS ARE FORMED SO THAT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FREE ENDS IS LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF THE   SLAT. TO INSTALL THE MOLDING, ONE LEG OF THE BRACKET IS FIXED TO THE BUILDING SURFACE AND THE MOLDING SLAT IS INSERTED BETWEEN THE HOOL PORTIONS OF THE BRACKET TO DISTORT THE BRACKETS LEGS SO THAT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEIR FREE ENDS EQUALS THE WIDTH OF THE SLAT WHICH IS HELD SECURELY BY THE HOOK PORTIONS. A SECOND EMBODIMENT PROVIDES A FLAT BRACKET WITH HOOK PORTIONS AT EACH END, AND A FLEXIBLE SLOT WHICH IS DISTORTED TO FIT BETWEEN THE HOOK PORTIONS.

Nov. 2, 1971 H. J. SCHLAFLY, JR 3,616,587

DECORATIVE WIRE MOLDING Filed Aug. 2. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HUBERT J. SCHLAFLY JR.

BY M @dr 8- WI ATT RNEYS 2, 7 H. J. SCHLAFLY, JR 3,616,587

DECORATIVE WIREMOLDING Filed Aug. 2, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HUBERT J. SCHLAFLY JR.

BY FWI C NEYS Mr United States Patent 01 fice 3,616,587 DECORATIVE WIRE MOLDING Hubert J. Schlafly, Jr., Fort Lee, N .J., assiglor to Teleprompter Corporation, New York, N.Y. Filed Aug. 2, 1967, Ser. No. 657,854 Int. Cl. E04b 19/04 US. Cl. 52-288 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A decorative molding for housing wires, cables and the like and a method for installing the molding on a building surface are described. The molding comprises a molding slat and at least one bracket adapted to hold the opposite edges of the slat and to mount it on a building surface. In one embodiment the bracket comprises two legs of resilient material, each joined at one end and having a hook portion at the free end. The legs are formed so that the distance between the free ends is less than the distance between the opposite edges of the slat. To install the molding, one leg of the bracket is fixed to the building surface and the molding slat is inserted between the hook portions of the bracket to distort the bracket legs so that the distance between their free ends equals the width of the slat which is held securely by the hook portions. A second embodiment provides a flat bracket with hook portions at each end, and a flexible slat which is distorted to fit between the hook portions.

Field of the invention This invention relates to decorative molding and more particularly to a molding for the housing of wires, cables and the like and to a method for installing the molding on a building surface.

Summary of the invention Communication cables, audio lines, intercom, low voltage emergency lighting and other non-hazardous types of circuits are often added in aparament, hotel, oifice and other multiple dwelling buildings at a time after the original building construction has been completed. The unsightliness of this wiring often requires that it be concealed inside the wall or ceiling of the buildingat great cost, delay and inconvenience. Mechanical devices are available to contain such wiring, including plastic and metal conduit raceways and other items normally available to electrical contractors. These devices, however, are often costly and are almost always unsuitable for architectural or decorative reasons.

The present invention provides a decorative molding suitable for housing wires and the like and adopted for installation on a building surface. The molding comprises a molding slat of predetermined configuration and at least one bracket for holding opposite edges of the slat. The bracket itself has a hook portion at each end which forms an acute angle with the bracket. The slat and bracket are mutually distortable from a first position in which the distance between the opposite edges of the slat is greater than the distance between the ends of the bracket to a second position in which the slat is capable of being positioned between the ends of the bracket, the opposite edges of the slat being engaged by the hook portions of the bracket.

In a first preferred embodiment the bracket comprises two legs, a first end of each of these legs being in a fixed relationship with one another, and having at the second end of each of the legs a hook portion forming an acute angle with the leg. The second ends of the two legs are resiliently distortable from a first position in 3,616,587 Patented Nov. 2., 1971 2 which the distance between the second ends is less than the distance between the opposite edges of the slat to a second position in which the slat may be positioned between the second ends of the legs so that the opposite edges of the slat are held by the hook portions of the bracket.

In a second preferred embodiment the bracket is fiat and the slat is resiliently distortable from a first position in which the distance between opposite edges of the slat is greater than the distance between the bracket ends, to a second position in which the slat is capable of being positioned between the ends of the bracket, the opposite edges of the slat being engaged by the hook portions of the bracket.

The preferred embodiments of the invention also include integral means for attaching the bracket to the building surface. Flexible hinge means may be advantageously provided to attach one edge of the molding slat to the building surface.

These and other features of the present invention will be more readily understood when the following descrip tion of a preferred embodiment of the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention installed in a corner formed by the walls and ceiling of a room;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention before installation on a building surface;

FIG. 3 is a detail perspective view of a metal bracket for use in the first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the first preferred embodiment taken along line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment showing the use of a flexible hinge;

FIG. 6 is a detail perspective view of a plastic bracket for use in the first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a detail perspective view of a plastic bracket for use in the second preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 9a and 9b are plan views of molding slats showing the line of cuts necessary to form and 270 molding corners, which are shown in perspective views in FIGS. 90 and 9d, respectively.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of the present invention installed at a corner formed by the ceiling 10 and the walls 11 and 12 of a room. The principal elements of the molding, a molding slat 13 and a bracket 14 can be seen more clearly in FIG. 2. The molding slat 13 is a continuous strip of slightly tempered aluminum having a slightly crowned cross-section. The opposite edges of the slat 13 are held by at least one, and preferably by a series, of narrow metal brackets 14 formed of a thin (approximately .012 inch thick) metal strip having a slight temper or resiliency. In practice, the bracket 14 can be made from the same material and with the same decorative surface finish as the molding slat 13.

The bracket 14, shown in detail in FIG. 3, comprises two legs 15 and 16 united at one end and formed to include an angle less than 90. The free ends of the legs 15 and 16 have hook portions 17 and 18, respectively, formed at an acute angle with the edge of each leg. The legs of the bracket are normally of equal length, but they may be of unequal length provided that, as in the preferred embodiment, when the legs form a nominal right 3 angle the straight line distance between the vertices of the hook portions 17 and 18 is equal to the chord of the are generated by the crown of the molding slat 13. More generally stated, the free ends of the bracket legs should be resiliently distortable from a first position in which the distance between these free ends is less than the distance between opposite edges of the slat to a second position in which the distance between the free ends is equal to the distance between opposite edges of the slat.

In order to insert the slat 13 into the bracket 14, one edge of the slat is inserted into the hook portion formed at the edge of one leg; the position of the other leg is distorted so that the angle included by the two legs exceeds 90; and the other edge of the slat is then moved into a position adjacent the other hook portion where, when the distorting force is removed the resilience of the bracket material tends to restore the legs to their former position and the second edge of the slat is captured under the second hook portion of the bracket. For decorative reasons it is preferable that the angles of the hook portions 17 and 18 should be such that they are tangential to the arc of the slat 13 at their point of contact with the slat.

The brackets 14 are comparatively narrow in their dimension paralleling the length of the slat. This dimension is not critical, nor is the spacing distance between brackets along the length of the slat 13.

The preferred attachment of the bracket 14 to a building surface is by means of a pressure sensitive adhesive strip 19 which is applied to the outside surface of one leg 16 during the manufacture of the bracket and which is protected by a peelable temporary cover 20, removable at the time of attachment. If the molding is expected to accommodate more than a light wiring load it is advantageous to augment the adhesive bond between wall and bracket by mechanical means such as nail, tack or, preferably, staple. The material of the bracket 14 can be made of thin and relatively soft metal for this purpose so that staple guns with conventional insertion thrust may penetrate the bracket as well as the building surface, avoiding the requirement of pre-drilled holes or precise location of mounting. FIG. 4 shows the installation of the first preferred embodiment in a ceiling-wall corner more clearly. The molding is shown housing a cable 23.

A further feature of the first preferred embodiment can be seen in FIG. 5. In addition to the support provided by the metal bracket 14 the molding slat after installation can be permanently attached to a building surface at one or more points along its length by means of a flexible hinge 22 formed of a cloth or fiber-backed adhesive strip. The hinge 22 of the molding shown in FIG. 5 attaches the lower edge of the slat 13 to the wall 11 between the bracket installations. (The brackets 14 holding the slat 13 are attached to the wall as described above.) The flexible hinge 22 serves two purposes. It becomes a permanent hinge which retains the slat 13 in position when its is disengaged from the bracket 14 in order to permit maintenance, service or a change in the number of cables housed within the molding. Also, the hinge 22 serves to hold the edge of the slat 13 firmly to the building surface at positions between the brackets, thereby preventing wires or cables from wedging themselves between the juncture of the molding slat and building surface.

A second form of a bracket suitable for use in the first preferred embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 6. The bracket shown there is formed of extruded transparent polycarbonate plastic with its surface treated to provide a smooth, non-reflective matte finish. The leg portions 24 and 25 of the bracket 14' are formed to include an angle of approximately 75 and at the ends of the legs 24 and 25 are hook portions 26 and 27 adapted to engage the opposite edges of the molding slat 13 described above. The bracket is advantageously provided with a recessed portion 28 along the external surface of one of the legs in which an adhesive strip 19 is mounted. The recess minimizes the separation between bracket and building surface which would be caused by the thickness of the adhesive strip 19. The leg portions of the bracket are united by a section 29 which permits the bracket to be installed in a corner which is rounded. In other respects the operation of the plastic bracket is identical to that of the metal bracket 14.

At this point several key advantages of the present invention should be noted. This invention provides a decorative molding which can be quickly and easily installed to a variety of interior and exterior building surfaces. It can be readily fabricated from commonly available materials, and its extreme simplicity permits great economy in production. Most distinctively, however, after the molding has been installed on a building surface the molding slat can be quickly removed or disengaged from the hook portions of the brackets so that cables may be removed, added or repositioned within the molding. Just as quickly and simply the slat can be repositioned within the brackets.

A second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 7. This wire molding employs a flexible molding slat 13 similar or identical to that used in the first embodiment, but a flat bracket 30 rather than a corner bracket 14 holds the opposite edges of the slat. The flat bracket 30 may be viewed as being formed from a corner bracket 14 Whose legs have been reformed to include an angle of 180, forming a flat surface. Hook portions 31 and 32 are provided at the ends of the fiat bracket 30 to form acute angles with the bracket. The bracket can be fixed to a building surface by any of the means described in connection with the first embodiment. To insert the metal slat 13 in the bracket 30, the slat is stressed or bowed to increase the arc of the crown above its normal state in which the distance between opposite edges of the slat is greater than the distance between the hook portions 31 and 32 of the bracket. The slat is stressed sufiiciently so that its opposite edges can be positioned between the hook portions of the bracket. When the slat is released in this position it tends to return to its formed stressed state and is firmly held by the hook portions of the bracket.

Another form of the flat bracket is shown in FIG. 8. The plastic bracket 33 shown there is formed of the same material described in connection with the plastic corner bracket 23. Two hook portions 34 and 35 are provided at the ends of the bracket and a recessed portion 36 holds a strip of adhesive 19 for mounting the bracket to a building surface.

Corners in the first preferred emodiment of the decorative wire molding can be prefabricated or prepared in the field by means of a contour cut made along the locus of intersection of the slats meeting at a corner. FIG. 9 indicates the general technique for making a single cut in two setcions of molding slat to fabricate both a 90 and a 270 molding corner. Single cuts 37 and 38 are made in two sections of molding slat 39 and 40 respectively. The cut 37 is made along a predetermined locus of intersection and cut 38 is made along the same locus with the slat 40 turned upside down so that the cuts 37 and 38 appear as mirror images of each other. Each cut divides its slat into two sections labeled a and b, respectively. To form the molding interior corner shown in FIG. 90 slat section 3% is coupled with slat section 40a. The external 270 corner shown in FIG. 9d is formed by the combination of the remaining slat sections 39a and 401).

Although the location of the installation of the first preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawing is along the intersection of the wall and ceiling of a room, it should be understood that the decorative molding of the present invention in either embodiment is adapted for a wide range of installation configurations. The molding is least conspicuous when it nestles in a corner formed by a ceiling and wall, or wall and floor. However, the molding can be readily installed on a wall some distance below the ceiling of a room, or in the corner of two walls as a. vertical run.

Moreover, although the first preferred embodiment described above employs a bracket of unitary construction whose legs form an angle of 90 when the molding is installed on a building surface, the present invention is intended to encompass a molding having a bracket of nonunitary construction or having bracket legs which include an angle other than 90 when said legs are posi tioned to hold the molding slat.

It will be understood that other changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangement of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A decorative molding suitable for housing wires and the like and adapted for installation on a building surface, the molding comprising:

(a) a flexible molding slat of predetermined configuration;

(b) flexible hinge means for attaching one edge of the slat to the building surface, and

(c) at least one bracket for holding opposite edges of said slat, said bracket having at each end thereof a hook portion forming an acute angle with said bracket, the slat being resiliently distortable from a first position in which the distance between the opposite edges of said slat is greater than the distance between the ends of said bracket to a second position in which the slat is capable of being positioned between the ends of the bracket, the opposite edges of the slat being engaged by the hook portions of the bracket.

2. A decorative molding according to claim 1 having means for fixing the bracket to the building surface, said means comprising a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive, and wherein the bracket is provided with a recessed portion in which said strip is mounted.

3. A decorative molding suitable for housing wires and the like and adapted for installation on a building surface, the molding comprising:

(a) a molding slat of predetermined configuration;

and

(b) at least one bracket for holding opposite edges of said slat, said bracket comprising:

(1) two legs, at least one of said legs being of a resilient material, a first end of each leg being in a fixed relationship with the first end of the other leg,

(2) a hook portion at the second end of each leg forming an acute angle with its said leg; the second ends of the legs being resiliently distortable from a first position in which the distance between said second ends of the legs is less than the distance between the opposite edges of the slat to a second position in which the slat is capable of being removably positioned between the second end of the legs, the opposite edges of the slat being held by the hook portions of the bracket, said bracket and said slat so positioned together defining the cross-section of a channel for holding said wires and the like, and

(c) flexible hinge means for attaching one edge of the slat to the building surface.

4. A decorative molding according to claim 3 further comprising a strip of pressure-sensitive adhesive for fixing one leg of said bracket to the building surface, and wherein said one leg of the bracket is provided with a recessed portion in which said strip is mounted.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

